Kendra Keene

State Hornet

Paramount Pictures has work dating back to 1912, and from”The Godfather” to “Grease,” it’salmost impossible to say you haven’t seen a ParamountPicture. So, what’s next from the studio that made you laughand cry? 2004 is a picture year for Paramount with over a dozenmovies coming out under their name.

“Mean Girls”

Opening April 30 is “Mean Girls,” starring LindsayLohan as Cady Heron. Heron’s story is common: she’s thenew girl in high school and she is having trouble fitting in. Whatcould save this movie from being another common high school dramais the fact that Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live’s WeekendUpdate reporter) is the screenwriter and makes her acting debut asHeron’s teacher. With Fey’s undeniable sense of humor,this movie could be worth effort. On the other hand Lohan’slast movie, “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen”opened to mixed reviews. Lohan may be more about quantity thanquality, for this is already her second feature film this year.

“The Stepford Wives”

“The Stepford Wives” opens June 11. Starring NicoleKidman and Matthew Broderick, this seems to be the most impressiveupcoming film. The film follows an elite group of wives, inStepford, Connecticut, who represent only the most ladylikecharacteristics. They are made to look like Barbies and behave like”50s housewives. This town is all too perfect for the newestneighbors on the block. While Broderick is able to enjoy theStepford lifestyle, Kidman is far too skeptical of the perfectionin everyone and everything and is reluctant to become the nextStepford wife. With supporting actors Christopher Walken and BetteMidler, “The Stepford Wives'” perfect lifestyleshould be interesting to watch this summer.

“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”

“Featuring state-of-the-art special effects never seenbefore, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’ trulyrepresents a trailblazing moment in cinematic history,”Paramount Pictures claims. The film was done entirely against ablue screen but seems to give off a very real life presence. Thestory line may be a little phony. Reporter Polly Perkins (GwynethPaltrow) and aviator Sky Captain (Jude Law) try to bring down Dr.Totenkopf before he destroys the planet. But that type ofover-the-top theme may work well with the high levels of specialeffects. Either way, this film will be worth seeing when it comesout on June 25, just for the new age special effects.

“What’s it all about Alfie?”

A new and modern reinvention of the 1960s classic,”What’s it all about Alfie?” is a comedy staringJude Law as the cool, immature womanizer character that made actorslike Hugh Grant famous. Law embodies this type of characterperfectly. He’s able to look and sound cool without tryingtoo hard. When Alfie begins to question his bachelor lifestyle hesoon realizes that maybe his no attachments lifestyle might not beall it’s cracked up to be. With strong supporting roles byMarisa Tomei and Susan Sarandon, this remake looks like it mightbreak the bad stigma most remakes seem to carry.

“Coach Carter”

Inspired by the true-life story of Coach Ken Carter of Richmond,who was given national attention after he benched his basketballteam for poor academic performance, “Coach Carter” isthe type of story people love to watch. Samuel L. Jackson plays thestrict coach who teaches his players to strive for something morethan the game. The story line is an instant crowd pleaser and anall around feel-good type of movie. There’s something aboutstruggling to get to the top that makes everyone proud.